Promoting physical distancing during COVID-19: a systematic approach to compare behavioral interventions.
Sci Rep
; 11(1): 19463, 2021 09 30.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1447325
ABSTRACT
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, physical distancing behavior turned out to be key to mitigating the virus spread. Therefore, it is crucial that we understand how we can successfully alter our behavior and promote physical distancing. We present a framework to systematically assess the effectiveness of behavioral interventions to stimulate physical distancing. In addition, we demonstrate the feasibility of this framework in a large-scale natural experiment (N = 639) conducted during an art fair. In an experimental design, we varied interventions to evaluate the effect of face masks, walking directions, and immediate feedback on visitors' contacts. We represent visitors as nodes, and their contacts as links in a contact network. Subsequently, we used network modelling to test for differences in these contact networks. We find no evidence that face masks influence physical distancing, while unidirectional walking directions and buzzer feedback do positively impact physical distancing. This study offers a feasible way to optimize physical distancing interventions through scientific research. As such, the presented framework provides society with the means to directly evaluate interventions, so that policy can be based on evidence rather than conjecture.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Behavior
/
Physical Distancing
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Randomized controlled trials
/
Systematic review/Meta Analysis
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
/
Young adult
Language:
English
Journal:
Sci Rep
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S41598-021-98964-z
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